Suction cleaner



March 23, 1943.v P.4 E. FRAN-rz` n sUcTIoN cIfFANERy FiledKN'ov. 6, 1940V 4 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTR4 PAU E PFA/V72 Troie/vnf March 23, 1943. P. E. FRAN-rz SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. e, '194C 4 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR PAM f. PPA/vr;

March 23, 1943.' P. E; FRANTZ y 2,314,334

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. .6, 1940 4y sheets-sheet s March 23, 1943. P. E. FRANTZ 2,314,334

A SUGTION GIJEANERy Filed Nov. re, 1940 r4 sheets-sheet `4 VIII/III l lvENTOR. PAUL E. FEA/V72 BY t Patented Mai". 23,

UNITED STAT Es PATENT g OFFICE SUCTION CLEANER y Paul E.

Apex` Elect Cleveland, Ohio, a co This invention relates tosuctioncieaners and Frantz Euclid, Ohio, assigner to The calv Manufacturing Company,

rporation o! Ohio Application November 6, 1940, Serial No. 364,529

Y 4 Claims. CL 1516) more particularly to a portable, electric'suction i f cleaner suited for kthe cleaning of ll'oors, rugs and the like, v f

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a suction cleaner having a nozzle adapted to engage a floor; rugs orvthe like, a motor and fan unit cooperating with the nozzle to ture will appear from the following description and the appended drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a sectional View taken. longitudinally of the suction cleaner;

Figure 2 is a plan view withparts in section or a cleaner made according to my" invention;

effect a cleaning action therethrough, and a dust bag to n hold the Adust and litter removed from the surface undergoing cleaning, constructed and arn ,y

ranged so that'theair stream whicheffects cleaning is directed toward the dust bag through a passageway formed in part by the motor so as to effect a cooling of the motor.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a suction cleaner according to the preceding oblect, which comprises a body having an integrally formed nozzle and shell and wherein the ian and motor as a unit are proportioned and arranged Figure 3 is a plan view with parts in section ci a motor and fan unit embodied in the cleaner;

Figure 4 is a sectional view ol the motor showu ing ventilation and motor brush detalls;

Figure 5 is an end view with parte breiten away showing themotor brush mountingf;

Figure 6 is a front elevation with parte in section showing the rotating brush mounted in the cleaner nozzle;

Figure I is a sectional view showing the brush n construction: e

so that the shell'iunctions as a' fan chamber, a motor housing and an air passageway to conduct the air from the nozzle to the dust bag.

It is a further object oi my invention to provide a suction cleaner according to the preceding object, wherein the nozzle is provided with an adjustable rotary brush iltted with removable brush elements and is adapted to be driven from the motor shaft. y v

It is a further objectotpmy invention to provide a suction cleaner having a nozzle wherein the top and forward walls thereof are shaped to provide a reentrant portion to support and protectan illuminating device for the cleaner.

Flgure is a sectional view taken as indicated at M ofligure 6; e

Figure 9 is a sectional View taken as indicated at 9m!! or Figure e;

Figure 1G is an elevation with parts in section of a suction cleaner handle made according to my invention:

Figure il ls an enlarged sectional View ci the handle latch mechanism; and

Figure l2 is an enlarged view with parts broken away of the handle latch mechanism. v The cleanerof my invention comprises a body provided with wheels adapted to support the cleaner for movement over a rug orv surface to be cleaned, a nozzle provided With a rotary brush and a fan and motor chamber in communica l tion with the .nozzle providing a passageway leads vide a'suction cleaner-'having a lrotary brush,

wherein the brush comprises semi-cylindrical shell members mounted on a core and whichare shaped and arranged to receiver and hold a rey movable brush element.

my invention to prohaving a handle plv/- It is a further object of vide a suction cleaner body otally carried by a bracket provided with a latch adapted to cooperate with portions of the bracket and wherein spring means thereon and whichis are provided to counterbelance the weight of the handle.

It is a further object oi my invention to provide a suction cleaner having a nozzle with iront and rear supporting wheels proportioned with respect to each other to effect automatic adjustment of the nozzle.

Further objects and advantages relating to et iiciency in operation and economies in manufac- It is a further object oi my invention to pro- ,135'

ins to a dust beg.

In portable suction cleaners it has been the general practice to separate the motor unit from the ran chamber so as to prevent dirtdaden air from contact with the motor. It has been recognized that the large volume of air moved by the constructions which adversely affected the cool ing and Ventilating of the motor.

Generally speaking. I have obtained the ad'- vantages above mentioned by providing a cleaner body with an elongatedshell which serves to conduct the air :from the nozzle to the dust bag and which is provided witlan apertured portion at the lower side or" the shell adapted to receive and support a motor similarly apertured so that Ventilating air may be drawn from the exterior of the shell into a motor casing and exhausted through said apertures.

.Referring to the drawings, the cleaner body indicated in its entirety as at l comprises three complementary castings 2, 3 and 4. The casting is provided with supporting wheels and 6' beneath the forward portion of the casting and wheels l and at the rear portion of the casting. The casting indicated at 2 is in the nature of a cover for the lower casting and is shaped to provide therewith an elongated shell which forms' a conduit for the air stream leading from the nozzle to the dust bag, a fan chamber, and a. motor housing. The casting 3 in its forward portion is sha-pcd to provide a floor nozzle 3a extending transversely oi the cleaner and the upportion oi this nozzle at the central part thereoi is covered by a portion of the casting 4. an extension oi the casting I overhangs a recess or ledge in the upper surface o! the nozzle to provide a cover or guard for the light 9. The casting t is removably mounted on castings 2 and by means of the spring clip l30 secured to the lower edge of the extension of the casting 4 which engages a iinob itl carried by the nozzle portion o and spring clip E32 which engages a projection i533 on the casting 2.

Preferably the end walls of the nozzle are continued rearwardly as at 3b so as to provide a housing concealing the supporting wheels 5 and and thus contribute to the stream-lined shape and general attractiveness of the cleaner. The forward supporting wheels 5 and 6 have relatively wide fioorcontactina' surfaces and have a relatively greater diameter than the rear wheels 'l and li. The wide, large diameter wheels 5 and 6, permit the cleaner to ride easily on a soft or deeppile rug, without sinking into the rug sufficiently to adversely aiect the efiicient cleaning of the rug by the nozzle. In this connection it is pointed out that the narrow wheels "l and 8 at the rear ci the cleaner permit that portion of the cleaner to sinh farther into the rug than the iront portion of the cleaner and thus the proper efficient space between the nozzle and the surface to be cleaned is automatically maintained. The castings i?, :i and li are free oi reentrant portions and are thus suited for los.T cost production by the use of die castings.

The lower wall of the casting 3 which forms the shell enclosing the motor and fan unit is shaped to provide a :dat boss or motor support section which is apertured as at l2 and I3 :for ventilatine inlet and outlet, respectively. The section as shown in plan in Figure 2 is substantially triangular in shape and corresponds to the shape of the boss l5 formed on the base ci motor casing i5. The boss i5 of the motor casing 'itl is likewise apertured as at l2d and i3d to provide Ventilating air inlet and outlet respeotively in the inotor casing. A resilient gasl liet iii is inserted between the motor boss i5 and the section il to effectively seal the motor ventiation openings with respect to the air stream within the cleanerI shell and to deaden sound and 'vibration resulting from motor operation. The motor is secured in position on the casing section by suitable fastening screws l1.

above described mounting arrangement for the motor and fan unit within a shell provides for a free passage of air about the exterior of the motor casing 'I5 except in the supporting section il at the lower part of the casing, and the motor boss I5 is so proportioned that the motor and fan unit is substantially centrally disposed withln the casing. The positioning of the motor and fan with respect to the inlet 20 in the nozzle end of the shell and the.shaping of the fan and shell as shown, results in a quiet unit of high efficiency. The eiiciency obtained appears to be due at least in part to the fact that the air drawn from the nozzle is directed longitudinally in a substantially straight line as it leaves the fan through a large passageway as distinguished from the conventional motor and fan unit arrangement, wherein a fan chamber is provided with an outlet at one point and the air follows a restricted, tortuous passage producing turbulence and noise.

I have found that by mounting the motor against the lower wall, so as to prevent the passage of air between the under side of the motor and the casing, it prevents any swirling action in the ar stream through the casing and it appears that the elimination of this swirling action also contributes to the quletness and high efficiency obtained. The spacing between the exterior or the motor casing and the air stream casing is preferably such that the cross sectional area through this passage is not less than the cross sectional area in other portions of the air stream passageway and thus there is no restriction to free air flow through the casing.

The cleaner castings 2 and 3 which form the shell housing the motor and fan, terminate in a dust bag opening at the rear of the cleaner and a ring 55 which is carried by and forms the mouth of the dust bag, is secured to the casting 3 by thumb nuts 56-51 on studs carried by casting 3. The fabric of the dust bag is suitably secured to a reentrant groove of the ring 55 by a clamping band 59 carried in the hem of the dust bag. By removing the thumb nuts 5B-5`I, the dust bag,in its entirety may be removed from the cleaner and emptied.

A pulley 2l is secured to the motor shaft 22 forwardly of the fan 23 and the pulley projects through the casing opening 20 to provide a drive through the belt 24 to the brush unit 25 mounted in the lower part of the nozzle. As shown in Figure 6, the floor nozzle 3a extends transversely of the cleaner and the end walls thereof are provided with brackets 2T and 28 to support the rotatable brush. The brackets 2l-28 are verti cally slotted as at 29 (see Fig. 8) to receive a' :pin 33 carried by the end of the rotatable brush to permit Iproper brush adjustment within the nozzle. Preferably the pin 33 has flat sides so as to be restrained against rotation and guided vertically by the edges of slot 29. A slotted plate 3l! is pivoted as at 3| on the supporting plate 2l and the slot 32 in the plate 30 is curved so that rocking movement of the plate 30 raises and lowers the pin 33. The swinging or adiusting movement of the plate 30 is effected by manually moving the handle portion 34 and said movement is controlled by a spring-pressed latch 35 adapted to be received in notches 36 formed in the lower edge of the plate 30. It will be understood that the tension of the belt 24 normally pulls the brush upwardly in the slot 29 so as to cause the vpin 33 of the brush to bear against the upper edge of the cam slot 32.

The brush unit 23 comprises a hollow tube 3l cleaner may be conveniently carried about without swinging with respect to its pivotal mounting. When, however, the cleaner is to be pushed about the door, the latch l Il is released by means of the trigger |21 so that the handle may assume an inclined position such as shown in Figure convenient for the operator. The notch l I4 provides that the handle may be swung to a position substantially parallel to the surface being cleaned and thus the cleaner may be moved beneath a -bed, chair or the like, to clean a surface thereunder. 'Ihe coil spring lil is preferably selected so that it substantially counterbalances the weight of the handle and thus facilitates the manipulation of the handle to and from its position of use.

The nozzle portion of the cleaner is provided on its iront and side walls with a resilient bumper (2li, to prevent the marring of furniture by contact with the cleaner. The casting l which overhangs the belt pulley on the motor and the light is also provided with a strip of rubber which is secured thereto in alignment with a strip oi rubber |22 on the casting 2.

Although I have shown and described one form of my invention in considerable detail, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art may eitect numerous modications thereof without departing from the scope of the invention as deiined in the following claims.

i claim:

l. A suction cleaner comprising a lower body portion provided with supporting wheels at its underside, a nozzle integrally formed in said lower body portion, an'upper body portion secured to the lower body portion and forming therewith a passageway, a motor and fan unit mounted within said shell and contacting the lower wall thereof, whereby air moving through said passageway around the motor cools the motor, apertures formed in the wall of said shell and in the t wall of the motor casing in the Contact area between the motor and shell, means within the motor casing to induce a i'iow of Ventilating air in through one oi said apertures and out through another oi said. apertures.

2. A suction cleaner comprising an integrallyformed nozzle and body portion, a. cover for said body portion, forming therewith an elongated shell, a motor having a sealed casing mounted within said shell on the lower wall thereof, a pair of spaced, aligned apertures formed in said motor casing and in said shell in said lower wall portion, a fan within said motor casing adapted w draw motor Ventilating air through one of said apertures and exhaust the air through the other of said apertures.

3. A suction cleaner comprising a dust bag, a body having an integrally-formed floor nozzle section and an elongated, cup-like recess in said body rearwardly of said nozzle, a similarlyshaped, elongated, cup-like cover arranged over said recess and forming therewith an elongated shell adapted to form a passageway extending longitudinally of the body leading from the nozzle to said dust bag carried at the rear of the cleaner body, a horizontally-arranged motor secured to the lower wall of said recess, a suctionproducing fan mounted on said motor within said recess, a sealed casing for said motor, a ventilating ian within said sealed casing, apertures in said casing and in the wall of the shell beneath the casing, whereby said motor is cooled by air moving in the passageway exterior of the casing and by air moving through said apertures to the interior of said casing.

4. A suction cleaner body comprising a main casting including an integrally-formed nozzle and motor and Vfan unit housing, a Cover casting over said housing and forming therewith an elongated shell to enclose a motor and Ian unit, a motor casing mounted on a flattened portion of said shell and spaced from the major portion of the wall thereof to provide an air passageway leading from the nozzle and around said motor casing, said casing sealed with respect to said air passageway and provided with openings aligned with openings in the shell, leading to the exterior oi' said shell, whereby said motor may be cooled by Ventilating air drawn from the exterior of the shell and by air moving through said passageway.

P AUL E. FRANTZ.. 

